Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Back to Livingston Parish, LouisianaLivingston Parish Library Board roiled by disagreement over relocating challenged books
https://12ft.io/proxy
For nearly two hours Wednesday night, the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control meeting was roiled over a discussion on relocating controversial materials that have been challenged by a resident while the library processes the request.
The suggestion in a pointed letter from the Tulane First Amendment Law Clinic that any removal or relocation would violate the Constitution raised the stakes during what already promised to be a tense, heated meeting. Scorched earth accusations swirled between library board members, parish officials and residents, often involving religion, LGBTQ+ rights and the safety of minors.
Lisa Glascock, the community member, raised specific concerns about "Queerfully and Wonderfully Made" and filed a challenge to have it reviewed.
After a challenge, a committee must be formed, then each member must read the book and assess it before a final decision is made. That decision can also be appealed and sent to the library board. The entire process usually takes about a month.
The issue at hand, which the council requested Parrish bring to the meeting, was whether the board could mandate whether a challenged book can be relocated to a different section while under review.
Such a move could violate the Constitution, according to the letter from the Tulane First Amendment Law Clinic, read into the record early in the meeting.
“The ease in which requests for consideration can be made by library patrons almost guarantees a large number of these requests and invites a potential for abuse of this system,” the letter said. “The potential policy of relocating challenged materials pending review violates the Constitution, because it removes protected works from the shelves."
Clinic attorneys urged the board to reject any relocation or removal proposal, reminding them the "law of the land" has long said only materials that meet the legal definition of obscenity can be removed.
Parrish said she consulted with the parish attorney, who said he fully expects the clinic to file a suit if parish officials change the policy and relocate the challenged books pending review. Parrish relayed that the attorney would support the board, but he could not guarantee a victory and it likely would be a costly fight.
She added he advised they leave the books where they are and follow the policy already in place.
Ultimately, Parrish noted the question would not impact the relatively few challenges the library sees regularly — just five in the past year. Most of those books have only a couple of copies available, which are passed around the review committee to read, thus removing them from the shelves. But if the Bible or Harry Potter books were challenged, the matter would escalate because of the larger number of copies available for more popular materials.
While the majority of the board seemed loathe to change the policy, member Abby Crosby called the letter a "threat" and "intimidation," while member Larry Davis voiced his support of moving the books during the review process. Davis made a motion — which later passed — to request an opinion from the Attorney General's office and table the matter until then.
Glascock made another appearance, railing once more against "Queerfully and Wonderfully Made" and arguing young adults should not have access to it. She also shared she had lost her challenge bid and planned to appeal.
“Their innocence is gone,” she said of children who may access the book. “Doubts creep into them about church, about pastors, about parents.”
Two parish council members also showed up: former library board member and District 5 Councilwoman Erin Sandefur and newly elected District 7 Councilman Ricky Goff.
Sandefur had originally listed an agenda item titled "book content" for a meeting in 2022, then named eight books to consider restricting. Content ranged from a preschool-level picture book about transgender identities to a dating guide for teenage boys with a sexually explicit illustration.
"I don’t understand why it’s so hard to just relocate a book. I’ll tell you what is criminal — child abuse is criminal. You can take that to the bank," she said. "We just don’t want these books in front of our children."
Goff, who had two weeks ago proposed finding a way to potentially reduce the recently passed millage supporting the library's operation, suggested the staff simply move the books higher up on the shelf so a child would have to ask their parent or guardian to retrieve the book for them.
There was still plenty of resistance to the potential policy. Amanda Jones, a Livingston Parish school librarian who has publicly fought against efforts to restrict books in libraries and has received national recognition in the process, addressed the board several times.
"The library is for all community members, not just a minority and not just a majority," she said. "The behavior I’ve seen toward marginalized citizens, including children, from so-called Christians over the last year and a half has sickened me. It is nonstop hate in person and on social media.”
Marla Elsea, another community member who had spoken up during the Livingston Parish Council meeting, also pushed back against relocation.
“How big of a book jail do you want to plan to build to hold all these books in review?” she said. “You have to fight for the minorities. You have to protect everyone. We’re not outsiders, but if you keep acting like it, we sure as hell feel like it.”
Back to Livingston Parish, LouisianaLivingston Parish Library Board roiled by disagreement over relocating challenged books
https://12ft.io/proxy
For nearly two hours Wednesday night, the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control meeting was roiled over a discussion on relocating controversial materials that have been challenged by a resident while the library processes the request.
The suggestion in a pointed letter from the Tulane First Amendment Law Clinic that any removal or relocation would violate the Constitution raised the stakes during what already promised to be a tense, heated meeting. Scorched earth accusations swirled between library board members, parish officials and residents, often involving religion, LGBTQ+ rights and the safety of minors.
Lisa Glascock, the community member, raised specific concerns about "Queerfully and Wonderfully Made" and filed a challenge to have it reviewed.
After a challenge, a committee must be formed, then each member must read the book and assess it before a final decision is made. That decision can also be appealed and sent to the library board. The entire process usually takes about a month.
The issue at hand, which the council requested Parrish bring to the meeting, was whether the board could mandate whether a challenged book can be relocated to a different section while under review.
Such a move could violate the Constitution, according to the letter from the Tulane First Amendment Law Clinic, read into the record early in the meeting.
“The ease in which requests for consideration can be made by library patrons almost guarantees a large number of these requests and invites a potential for abuse of this system,” the letter said. “The potential policy of relocating challenged materials pending review violates the Constitution, because it removes protected works from the shelves."
Clinic attorneys urged the board to reject any relocation or removal proposal, reminding them the "law of the land" has long said only materials that meet the legal definition of obscenity can be removed.
Parrish said she consulted with the parish attorney, who said he fully expects the clinic to file a suit if parish officials change the policy and relocate the challenged books pending review. Parrish relayed that the attorney would support the board, but he could not guarantee a victory and it likely would be a costly fight.
She added he advised they leave the books where they are and follow the policy already in place.
Ultimately, Parrish noted the question would not impact the relatively few challenges the library sees regularly — just five in the past year. Most of those books have only a couple of copies available, which are passed around the review committee to read, thus removing them from the shelves. But if the Bible or Harry Potter books were challenged, the matter would escalate because of the larger number of copies available for more popular materials.
While the majority of the board seemed loathe to change the policy, member Abby Crosby called the letter a "threat" and "intimidation," while member Larry Davis voiced his support of moving the books during the review process. Davis made a motion — which later passed — to request an opinion from the Attorney General's office and table the matter until then.
Glascock made another appearance, railing once more against "Queerfully and Wonderfully Made" and arguing young adults should not have access to it. She also shared she had lost her challenge bid and planned to appeal.
“Their innocence is gone,” she said of children who may access the book. “Doubts creep into them about church, about pastors, about parents.”
Two parish council members also showed up: former library board member and District 5 Councilwoman Erin Sandefur and newly elected District 7 Councilman Ricky Goff.
Sandefur had originally listed an agenda item titled "book content" for a meeting in 2022, then named eight books to consider restricting. Content ranged from a preschool-level picture book about transgender identities to a dating guide for teenage boys with a sexually explicit illustration.
"I don’t understand why it’s so hard to just relocate a book. I’ll tell you what is criminal — child abuse is criminal. You can take that to the bank," she said. "We just don’t want these books in front of our children."
Goff, who had two weeks ago proposed finding a way to potentially reduce the recently passed millage supporting the library's operation, suggested the staff simply move the books higher up on the shelf so a child would have to ask their parent or guardian to retrieve the book for them.
There was still plenty of resistance to the potential policy. Amanda Jones, a Livingston Parish school librarian who has publicly fought against efforts to restrict books in libraries and has received national recognition in the process, addressed the board several times.
"The library is for all community members, not just a minority and not just a majority," she said. "The behavior I’ve seen toward marginalized citizens, including children, from so-called Christians over the last year and a half has sickened me. It is nonstop hate in person and on social media.”
Marla Elsea, another community member who had spoken up during the Livingston Parish Council meeting, also pushed back against relocation.
“How big of a book jail do you want to plan to build to hold all these books in review?” she said. “You have to fight for the minorities. You have to protect everyone. We’re not outsiders, but if you keep acting like it, we sure as hell feel like it.”
Metropolis Public Library (IL) voted to update its policies to be in compliance with the state's new anti-book banning bill, however it was still met with backlash from the community.https://www.metropolisplanet.com/news...
The board would eventually pass the Library Bill of Rights 6-2 with Ford Loverin, secretary Stephanie Johnson, treasurer LaDawn Bradley, Kelley Sullivan, Paula Shelton and James voting in favor, while vice president David Daugherty and Cheriah Herring voted against
James explained that “as a public library and part of the Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS) and the American Library Association (ALA), we’re held accountable for content of the library, and it has to be diverse.”
Loverin explained that as a library board, “laws regulate our behavior and our actions. We want to be as inclusive as possible for everyone in our community, that the views of our community must be represented in the library collection we have. Whether you believe those views or whether they’re really different than your views, I think that comes back to all of us treating one another with an open mind and a willingness to hear everybody’s viewpoint so our collection, our work and the books we purchase are designed to capture all of the reading needs of our community and to work within the larger library system.”
Daugherty said he hasn’t heard any complaints about the library’s collection. “This is a community library. We’ll get you what you want. If it’s not here, you can order it. There’s nothing being kept from anybody,” he said.
Library director Rosemary Baxter informed the board she had an in-depth conversation with an Illinois Heartland Library System liaison about “how we order books and what makes our decisions on how we order books. We figure out how we order books based on what the community’s been reading, requesting and looking for. She told me we are totally in compliance in how we are handling things and that no library is expected to order every single book or it’d burn a budget up rather quickly. I took great comfort in that we’ve been in compliance with this whole thing (the banned books law).”
On the whole, both library board members and the citizens gathered agreed they “do not believe in censorship. There are things out there that people want to read that some other people don’t, and they need to be able to do that,” Sullivan said. “Letting the people that want to read read what they want to read may not be for everybody, but it needs to be there if they need and/or want to read it. It’s everybody’s right to read what they want to read.”
Sullivan noted that “if we do not pass the Bill of Rights tonight, we’re ineligible for state money. That amount depends on what grants we go for.”
Baxter said when she became library director in May 2021, the library’s “funds were very limited. I didn’t apply for any state grants. I was honest with you when I interviewed about who I was and what I believe in. I know that the Lord put me in this position. And I know where that bank account stood when I got here. I know now how much money I spend every month in this library, and I see that bank account continue to increase. The children and this community are my passion. Being sure they’re taken care of when they’re brought inside here is my responsibility. We don’t need state funding. There are grants we can get where we don’t have to barter with Satan in order to get the funding. If we don’t get any state funding, we’re going to be OK. I get a $9,000 (per capita grant) check from them (IHLS) every year, and what we pay in dues is more. We pay ALA (American Library Association) — they do nothing that we as a community can’t do for ourself when we really want to.”
ALA and IHLS have multiple grants libraries can apply for. The library has used those grants in the past for remodeling, flooring, painting, HVAC and purchasing computers. “We have done a lot to this library through grants,” James said.
Loverin commended Baxter for building the library’s children’s program on “very little resources and funding. I don’t think we need to be in a position where we throw public funds away. I feel we can respect the integrity of our community and meet the library’s needs and get both funding from the state without being at risk of losing those grants. We’re here to hear one another’s views and see how we can best meet those needs and as a community accepting and tolerant of those views.”
The Bill of Rights has been part of the library’s policy manual for a number of years. “We already have it in place. We’re doing everything it says. We’ve just got to add a paragraph about patrons having the right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use,” Sullivan said.
Baxter explained that when she first became director, the staff weeded through the library’s children’s collection and came across a large number of books that never been checked out for over 10 years. “Before I did any changes at all, I talked to everyone who came in that door and a lot said it was overwhelming. We started pulling reports and did the process of elimination and picked what people were looking at and checking out. For the adult section, we don’t have a lot of adults come, and the ones who do are faithfully coming almost weekly and we’re getting those books they ask for. I do two surveys every year asking the community what books, programs, hours you want. We’ve found out a lot of community members are misinformed on what and how we’ve been doing it. We’re already doing most of the stuff they want. There is a process we go through to be good stewards of the money I’ve been put in charge of.”
• Several of those present voiced their concerns that approving the Bill of Rights would bring in situations they don’t want children being exposed to. Those included:
— Speaking on behalf of the Massac County Ministerial Alliance and their parishioners, president Jim Duncan, pastor of Zion Evangelical Church read a statement addressing the passage of House Bill 2789, which was introduced in February 2023 and became Public Act 103-0100 in June 2023. “Our American values prioritize and exemplify personal freedom first and foremost,” Duncan said.
“We have no problem with the requirement to secure books for an individual, assuming the library has the ability and resources to provide them. … We have seen how some individuals use their freedoms in an attempt to supersede the morals, beliefs and freedoms of communities like ours. We are concerned our values may be undermined. Events where men dressed in drag to lead story times for children have been popping up all over our state and states and communities nearby. In light of the freedoms offered by this bill, … we are concerned these events will soon make their way into our community, and we do not want to see that coming down the pipeline. We acknowledge the rights of individuals to be able to obtain the resources they desire for themselves, we do not want or affirm the library hosting public events or putting displays geared toward teaching children about sexuality and sexual expression. We believe these are not similar to the values of our community.”
James responded that “drag queens in libraries has never come before this board. This has been going on for several years. It’s a trend. If you think this is where this is going, it’s not.”
Herring added that “if that were done here, the support we have in the community would be gone. I don’t see the board, and definitely not Rosemary, agreeing to letting that inside these walls.”
Sullivan agreed. “I can guarantee you guys, there will be no drag queen story hours down here or anything else like that,” she said.
— Massac County commissioner Jimmy Burnham was among those present who said, “it comes down to the kids. It’s not about the adult content. We’ve got to be the examples. Kids are so vulnerable. My biggest concern with all of this is children and the content that could get their hands on. I think that’s where censorship should come in. Adults can make their own decisions, but a child can be influenced. Their minds are growing and they’re capturing everything. We’ve got to be very careful about our children.”
— Alissa Douglas noted the worry on the Bill of Rights is “how it’s worded. You can read things between the lines. Because we’re accepting this Bill of Rights, what will be dictated down the road that you have to do? The library is supposed to be open to everybody, but that doesn’t mean when you walk in that something that’s offensive is crammed down your throat either. To me, the programs should be neutral and not politically motivated one certain way or have an agenda to it. I hope that is what is carried forward. We trust the board will do that. That’s the reason why a lot of us came — so you would know we are concerned and worried about this.”
As a board member, Loverin said he’s heard from many about how the library has influenced them in some way. “The library supports that it’s up to the parent’s responsibility to supervise the children and their reading. We would encourage anyone to come with your children,” he said.
Baxter noted that book requests are open to ages 18 and over. If a child needs a book the library does not have in its onsite collection, the parent has to make the request. She also related how if an adult reader gets a book with an unexpected plot, “they will bring the book back. They don’t want those storylines. They’ll stop coming if that’s here. No one wants to ban books. But when it comes to our children and our seniors who trust us to get material they want to read, we can’t read every single book that comes in here, but we can be mindful of conversations.”
Through the public comment, a few suggestions were made about categorizing the collection so patrons know what is there.
https://www.metropolisplanet.com/news...
Huntington Beach [CA] is moving ahead with creating a parental committee that would review and possibly stop children’s books it deems offensive from entering the public library." The committee would include up to 21 adults.https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-p...
Ocean View School District trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin sent a “cure and correct” demand letter to Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark on Saturday after incorrect information was included on a city posting dated Jan. 11 regarding the committee.
Resolution No. 2023-41, passed by the conservative majority City Council on a 4-3 vote last October, calls for a parent/guardian review board of up to 21 adults to be established, with each City Council member able to appoint up to three members to the board.
The Jan. 11 posting on the city website, however, states that the committee members would be selected only by the council liaisons.
Clayton-Tarvin’s letter alleges a Brown Act violation and accuses the City Council of trying to “hoodwink our H.B. community with this bait and switch.”
“Even if it’s a not a violation of the Brown Act, it’s a violation of their own resolution, which then becomes a violation of California law,” Clayton-Tarvin said during a phone interview Tuesday. “I wrote it to the mayor because the chair of the meeting is who’s in charge.”
Clayton-Tarvin received an email response from City Atty. Michael Gates confirming that the posting had errors in it, and stating they would be corrected. His email assured her the posting, which was seeking applicants for a four-year term on the children’s book review committee, would be taken down, and he was looking into how the errors occurred.
Gates said Tuesday the initial response from the city manager’s office was that the wrong wording was inadvertently posted.
Huntington Beach public affairs manager Jennifer Carey confirmed in an email Wednesday the error “was an unintentional administrative mistake made during the drafting of the document.”
“We’re going to fix it,” Gates said. “There’s no conspiracy ... As far as I know, I haven’t heard one single word from council members about modifying the implementation of that program.”
Wow! a new low, even for FloridaIndian River Public Schools (FL) banned a book simply for referencing the American Library Association. That book is Alan Gratz's Ban This Book and it was banned in the district alongside Banned Book Club.
https://twitter.com/ryanestrada/statu...
But also better news from another district
Hernando Schools (FL) will keep five of the six books challenged in the district. Sold by Patricia McCormick, however, will be banned.
https://twitter.com/FLFreedomRead/sta...
Wow! a new low, even for FloridaIndian River Public Schools (FL) banned a book simply for referencing the American Library Association. That book is Alan Gratz's Ban This Book and it was banned in the district alongside Banned Book Club.
https://twitter.com/ryanestrada/statu...
But also better news from another district
Hernando Schools (FL) will keep five of the six books challenged in the district. Sold by Patricia McCormick, however, will be banned.
https://twitter.com/FLFreedomRead/sta...
ALL the books that an educator had to box up from their classroom in Conroe Independent School District (TX).https://twitter.com/frankstrong/statu...
Mod
“Wouldn't opting out just be not se..."
You know, if I were a student at the Katy Independent School district and had friends whose parents would not let them attend book fairs, I would simply buy for my friends the books they wanted to read.
Manybooks wrote: "You know, if I were a student at the Katy Independent School district and had friends whose parents would not let them attend book fairs, I would simply buy for my friends the books they wanted to read."You can only buy if your parents give you money and that money only goes so far.
Most kids of my generation and the Millennial generation bought Babysitters Club books and sometimes posters. Now they buy stickers, gel pens, erasers, and stupid stuff they don't need. It's the very fact that books about diverse characters EXIST that upsets the parents and they don't want their children to even KNOW these books, these people exist. It's not about the book fair but about control as usual.
Today's news about M4LCharleston County School Board snatches defeat from victory
https://www.postandcourier.com/opinio...
Five school board members flat-out voted to give acting Superintendent Anita Huggins a three-year contract while the rest (3) of the board came prepared with research and questions. The M4L controlled board members (5) always act unilaterally and cut everyone else out of any and all discussions and decisions.
The four other members of the School Board acknowledge Huggins is doing a good job, and their votes against her contract offer weren’t personal. They just refuse to be party to this School Board’s insulting lack of transparency.
Less than two weeks ago, School Board Chairman Keith Grybowski spoke at a private Moms for Liberty event where the first item on the printed legislative agenda was the “Transparency and Integrity in Education Act.”
These five Moms acolytes have been inflicting their predetermined will on the community since they swept into office. Their most infamous night came in September, when — in a single meeting — they suspended their new superintendent, fired most members of a volunteer health education curriculum committee and refused to give a permanent job to interim chief academic officer Michelle Simmons.
The four other board members weren’t included in those decisions, either. But the majority says there’s no coordination, no violation of open meeting laws going on.
The level of community outrage and protest that followed all that madness (even the big mayors threatened them) would’ve taught most people a lesson. But not them.
Board member Ed Kelley, the biggest Mom of them all, argued that Huggins didn’t need to interview for the superintendent position because there was no better job interview than doing the job.
When the four board members in the minority suggested this double standard (and hypocrisy) smacked of systemic racism (Huggins is white, Simmons is African American), the other five seemed genuinely offended.
Huggins has widespread community support, and most people are quite fond of her. The Post and Courier’s editorial staff and several past School Board members had suggested this very direction.
Alabama library directors will review 82 books flagged as potentially inappropriate for children.More censorship in Alabama
https://www.al.com/news/2024/01/alaba...
Amish romances? Really?
The Alabama Public Library Service received dozens of submissions since publicizing a complaint form last month for “parents concerned about the appropriateness of some resources available to children and teenagers in the state’s public libraries.” The submissions cover a wide range of books – from Amish romance novels to Rush Limbaugh retellings of historical events. The list is intended to help librarians review books and will not necessarily prompt any local book bans.
APLS director Nancy Pack said an additional 43 submissions were removed from the list because the submitter didn’t complete the form or because their address wasn’t in Alabama.
“This includes some that made statements about the list and did not provide any titles,” Pack said. The list will be used “as a tool” for library directors. The list isn’t publicly available on the service’s website but anyone can request a copy using Alabama’s Open Records Act.
Pack said the library service’s executive board decided not to include the submitters’ names in the public record.
State staff will not confirm if the individual books are in Alabama public libraries. Pack said additional funds were spent on the list’s creation but didn’t provide an exact amount.
The list includes 23 books deemed inappropriate by Clean Up Alabama, an organization challenging books statewide. Sixteen of those books have LGBTQ characters or themes.
Notable inclusions are 15 Amish romance novels written by Linda Byler, five “Left Behind” books, five “Rush Revere” children’s books by Rush Limbaugh, and five books about divorce.
Submitters disagreed with specific sections of the books. Others disagreed with the entire premise of the book. These books include Rosiee Thor’s “The Meaning of Pride,” Being You: A First Conversation About Gender,” “Door By Door: How Sarah McBride Became the First Openly Transgender Senator,” “My Rainbow,” and “Red, A Crayon’s Story.”
Uh-oh hope this doesn't reach the censors...A secret shelf of banned books thrives in a Texas school, under the nose of censors
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/29/122253...
Hopefully this time it will stick.Freedom to Read Act Reintroduced in New Jersey
One of the most comprehensive anti-book ban acts in the country, it includes provisions to protect the safety of library workers and educators
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
This year, we're seeing a groundswell of new bills across the country aimed at curbing book bans. Following legislation introduced in states like Massachusetts, Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico, legislators in New Jersey introduced a newly revised Freedom to Read Act into the Senate. Andrew Zwicker (D-Middlesex) and Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) sponsored the bill.
Senate Bill 2421 would establish several things. First, it would protect the right to read in libraries across the state. This comes through the requirement that every board of education in the state develop a policy regarding the materials in school libraries. While every school board will have the right to develop their own policy, it would require several provisions to protect access to a wide range of materials, including the understanding that those materials must represent the entirety of the school–not just the youngest within it. School libraries would not be allowed to exclude materials because of the background of those who have written the material or the backgrounds of those represented within it. Inclusivity and diversity would be enshrine in these policies as essential.
The bill would further require school boards to establish and codify how materials are challenged in the library. Challenges to material would be limited to those who have a vested interest in the institution, such as educators, students, or parents in the district. Challenged materials would remain on shelves throughout the process, and the makeup of the team reviewing materials would include educators, administrators, and librarians.
New Jersey's state librarian would be tasked with developing model collection and challenge policies that school boards could adapt. These would be created in collaboration with the New Jersey Library Association.
Public libraries would also need to develop and adapt collection and challenge policies governing their collections.
A key part of the Freedom to Read Act would protect library workers and educators in New Jersey schools. Not only would they be protected from lawsuits while engaging in activities related to their job–including acquisition and review of materials–but they would "have a civil cause of action for emotional distress, defamation, libel, slander, damage to reputation, or any other relevant tort, against any person who harasses the school library media specialist or any other teaching staff member for complying with the provisions of those sections."
Mod
I am not surprised as frankly Danielle Smith has always reminded me of Adolf Hitler's partner Eva Braun. Honestly, I hope students simply use the pronouns and names they want at school in open defiance (and yes, that is what I would do even if it meant being suspended or worse).
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...I am not surprised as frankly Danielle Smit..."
That rule is on the books in many districts in the U.S. too. It's ridiculous and hurtful. In some schools students need permission to use a nickname, a rule designed to out LGBTQIA+ kids.
A lot of news today from the U.S., mostly New Jersey.Some good news
Washington State Introduces, Advances School Anti-Book Ban Bill
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
House Bill 2331 was introduced by Representative Monica Jurado Stonier and is cosponsored by several other state representatives, including Nicole Macri, Lauren Davis, Gerry Pollet, Julia Reed, and Alex Ramel. There is a companion bill in the state Senate as well, SB 6208.
The bill would make it so that school boards cannot implement policies that intentionally remove or restrict materials in the library or in classrooms that features stories or themes of people under legally protected classes. In other words, books by or about people of color and/or LGBTQ+ books would not be discriminate against based on those topics.
Also included in the bill is the requirement that by the 2025-2026 school year, every district has clear, documented policies about where and how books are reviewed were a challenge to arise. That policy would require the challenge be made in writing by a parent. Parent is key here–those lodging complaints about materials would need to have a student enrolled in the school where the challenge is made.
Policies would also outline who comprises a book review committee. Parent and community engagement would be limited to less than one-half of the entire committee.
The bill is focused on school libraries, though the state has also been advancing a bill relate to public libraries. That bill, Senate Bill 5824, engrossed in early January, makes it more difficult to dissolve public libraries and public library districts.
In Alaska, adults behave like children. It's no wonder kids are so hurtful to each other when they have examples like these adults._____________
Mat-Su suspends challenged-book policy after meetings 'devolve into a shouting match and name-calling'
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/mat-s...
A Matanuska-Susitna Borough library policy that allows residents to recommend books they want permanently pulled from shelves is on hold after a mid-January book reconsideration hearing ended in chaos.
The indefinite suspension, announced last week by borough manager Mike Brown, will give officials time to examine the policy, with the goal of refocusing the process on “civil discourse,” Brown said in an interview this week. A borough library advisory board meeting scheduled for Feb. 13 has also been canceled.
The borough’s decision came after a chaotic meeting Jan. 18 called to hear a request to remove two young adult fiction books, “Red Hood” by Elana K. Arnold and “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins. A four-member borough committee ruled the books should stay on shelves.
Palmer resident Jackie Goforth, who regularly expresses her concerns about books she views as inappropriate during borough meetings, asked for the review because of what she described as the books’ sexual content.
Attendees, including borough assembly member Dee McKee, repeatedly interrupted the proceedings, which do not include public comment under committee rules.
Hugh Leslie, the borough’s recreation manager, served as the borough official chairing the meeting and at times struggled to maintain order amid a dozen audience interruptions and unsanctioned dialogue between the committee members and the crowd.
Then, after Goforth then took it upon herself to ask if any audience members wished to speak despite committee rules, McKee volunteered and moved to the podium. As she did so, Leslie abruptly announced the panel’s decision and adjourned the meeting over both McKee’s protests and loud arguments from the crowd.
Under the now-suspended reconsideration policy, protested books are examined in a public meeting by the borough committee that includes borough librarians, library advisory board members and the recreation manager.
The patron who filed the protest is permitted to testify about their request, and the committee decides whether the book will be removed from the system or relocated to a different library section. The policy does not allow for audience participation. Questioned books remain on library shelves during the review.
Brown said library staff will also post signs this week clarifying the young adult section is designed for children ages 16 and 17. In the past, the section has been broadly considered as appropriate for ages 14 and up.
“This is intended to communicate that there may be materials in the young adult section that some may deem inappropriate for 14- and 15-year-olds, and parents can make those decisions,” he said in the statement.
Libraries in Big Lake, Talkeetna, Trapper Creek, Willow and Sutton are operated by the borough, while those in Palmer and Wasilla are overseen by the cities.
The borough’s age clarification signage and policy suspension is the latest in an ongoing dust-up over controversial books in the Mat-Su.
Mod
I am not surprised as fra..."
I would simply not AT ALL respond to teachers and to anyone using pronouns or a name I do not want. I would just not cooperate. And I would expect my friends to use MY pronouns and MY nicknames and would also not respond to them as well if they used the wrong pronouns and/or names.
Ridiculous news from Tenn. Who decides what "community standards" are and why? Libraries are for EVERYbody not just the majority or minority. https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/...
TN bill would allow residents to petition for library books to be removed if it violates ‘community standards’
A newly filed bill would allow residents to circulate a petition if they want their public or school library to remove a book or other material they believe goes against “contemporary community standards.”
State Rep. John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge) filed the “Restricted Access by Minors to Obscene Library Materials Act,” which he said came about after his constituents told him content they thought was obscene was still making it onto library shelves accessible to minors.
“Public libraries and school libraries did have an exception; school libraries didn’t have an exception if there was, quote unquote, literary value or scientific value,” Ragan said. “However, that has been abused, according to many of my constituents, and so this is essentially saying that if it’s obscene material, it doesn’t matter.”
The bill defines “contemporary community standards” as material that is “obscene, patently offensive, of a prurient interest, contains sexual conduct and is harmful to minors,” to name a few of the possible reasons listed for a book to be removed from shelves.
If the bill becomes law, adult residents of a judicial district can send around a petition to have a book or other content removed from a library. The bill requires at least enough signatures to equal 2% of the number of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election in that judicial district.
“Well, when you have thousands of people signing a petition, that to me makes it far less subjective, because then it is a community standard. Those who disagree with the community can feel free to do so, but that’s their singular opinion and the community standards are set literally by the community in a petition that has several thousand signatures,” Ragan said.
Under these rules, a petition to remove a book from Davidson County shelves would need about 3,500 signatures. However, in Sumner County that number would be about 1,700.
“People are calling that book banning; it’s not banning anything because adults can get access to it as they choose. Furthermore, a parent, if they choose to check that book out as an adult and let their child read it, that’s within their purview,” Ragan said.
The legislation calls for the Secretary of State’s Office to come up with a system for appeal, but the book or materials would still be removed from shelves throughout the appeal process.
Ragan pushed back against criticism that he is removing librarians from the process and said his system is more democratic.
“Neither librarians nor library boards are elected bodies; they do not have to explain to the population why they chose to violate community standards or not; they don’t have to explain why they were doing a poor job or not,” Ragan said.
Manybooks wrote: "I would simply not AT ALL respond to teachers and to anyone using pronouns or a name I do not want. I would just not cooperate. And I would expect my friends to use MY pronouns and MY nicknames and would also not respond to them as well if they used the wrong pronouns and/or names."
Then they report you to your parents to whom you are not yet out and you get kicked out of your house without a safe place to stay. Not everyone has an accepting and loving family, especially in communities that pass these hurtful laws.
Manybooks wrote: "I would simply not AT ALL respond to teachers and to anyone using pronouns or a name I do not want. I would just not cooperate. And I would expect my friends to use MY pronouns and MY nicknames and would also not respond to them as well if they used the wrong pronouns and/or names."
Then they report you to your parents to whom you are not yet out and you get kicked out of your house without a safe place to stay. Not everyone has an accepting and loving family, especially in communities that pass these hurtful laws.
In New Jersey lots of chaoshttps://www.insidernj.com/book-bedlam...
ANNANDALE – In the midst of a two hour-plus public session Tuesday night, Stephen Halldorson, the president of the local teachers’ union, stepped to the microphone.
Yes, he said, he understands why some parents and students may find library books about sexual themes objectionable. So, don’t read them.
But at the same time, don’t try to force your views onto others.
A continuing battle over a handful of library books in the high school library resumed this week before the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional District school board. Last week’s scheduled meeting was postponed, because the crowd was too large for the board’s usual meeting room. This week the meeting was moved to the high school’s theater, which holds a bit more than 600; most of the seats were filled.
Board President Glen Farbanish said at the start of the meeting, no books are being challenged. He spoke of a formal challenging procedure that needs to take place, adding that just speaking against a book at a board meeting is not good enough.
Five books were challenged last year and the board voted to keep all of them in the library.
The “hero” of the moment, according to many in the crowd, is school Librarian Martha Hickson, who has defended the right of all students to read what they want. This stance earned her recognition as Librarian of the Year by the state Library Association, but also harsh criticism from those who consider some of the books in question “p__n.”
Farbanish, in fact, condemned profane and threatening social media messages about the topic, adding that the district supports students freely exchanging ideas.
Hickson’s supporters seemed to outnumber her opponents. As these things go in polarized times, the public session was relatively peaceful with very limited booing and interruptions.
One exception was a man who got annoyed because he said people kept cutting in front of him in line as he waited to address the board. After spouting some f-bombs about “sick” people, police escorted him out of the room.
Many students backed their librarian.
“No one is going to stop people of my age from being curious,” said one girl. She said seeking info about sex and gender in books is preferable to searching the Internet. Others said students need books to expand their knowledge.
Those who disagreed with that view said it’s more important for a school to keep students “safe.” More than one said inappropriate books threaten the “innocence” and well being of young people. And they said such books can lead to sexual abuse.
One speaker upset with the books was Republican Assemblyman Erik Peterson, of LD-23, which includes the district. He said that it’s time to “bring back some social decency,”
A lot of attention on this night was focused on “Let’s Talk About It,” a teen’s guide to “sex, relationships and being a human.”
This is a graphic novel that poses the following questions:
“Is what I’m feeling normal? Is what my body is doing normal? Am I normal? How do I know what are the right choices to make? How do I know how to behave? How do I fix it when I make a mistake?
Let’s talk about it.”
Graphic novels tend to be, well, graphic. Opponents displayed a large sign featuring images from the book that they said were not suitable for students.
But a student speaker countered that the book is, “Sex education for teenagers.”
Hickson was at the meeting, but did not speak.
One of her opponents said her support from library associations is not persuasive, claiming that the American Library Association puts undue pressure on local libraries to defend inappropriate books. As the battle over books has unfolded, the American Library Association has become a villain in the eyes of conservatives.
Then again, some in the crowd said the school board was not doing enough to support Hickson, who, of course, is a district employee.
More on Hicksonhttps://www.insidernj.com/librarian-h...
Alarmed by what they say are persistent attempts by critics in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional district to attack Hickson, a rally was organized Tuesday afternoon to support her.
The district in question is a bit unusual – at least by New Jersey standards. It covers two high schools and ranges over 12 towns.
Just as condemning aspects of public school curriculum is a mainstay of conservative talking points these days, backing librarians and the right to read is a cherished principle for Democrats.
And so it was that the rally in Clinton attracted Rep. Andy Kim of CD-3, who is running for the U.S. Senate this year, and Sue Altman, a Democratic congressional candidate in CD-7, which includes the high school in question.
Altman summed up her feelings in a tweet:
“I am a proud product of the NH-V school district. VHS class of 2000. I will fight like crazy to keep our local public schools as intellectually driven, creative and enriching as they were when I attended.”
Also on hand was state Sen. Andrew Zwicker, who had introduced legislation that “prohibits public libraries and public schools from banning or restricting access to certain books; permits withholding of state aid for non-compliance.” The bill was not acted on in the last legislative session and, thus, needs to be reintroduced.
Book ban opponents and supporters overwhelm North Hunterdon-Voorhees school board meetinghttps://www.mycentraljersey.com/story...
Before the meeting, the NH-V Intellectual Freedom Fighters, a group advocating students' right to read, held a "Prep Rally" at the Hunterdon County Library in Clinton Town with U.S. Rep Andy Kim, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and state Sen. Andrew Zwicker, the sponsor of the Freedom to Read Bill, in attendance.
Also in attendance were Petal Robertson, secretary-treasurer of the New Jersey Education Association, and Democratic District 7 congressional candidate Sue Altman, a former teacher and graduate of Voorhees High School.
The issue arose during the 2021-22 school year when parents campaigned for five books dealing with sexuality to be pulled off library shelves.
The school board voted in 2022 to reject a resolution to ban the five books. All five volumes remain on the library's shelves.
At the Nov. 28 Board of Education meeting. Eric Licwinko, who was involved in the previous effort to ban the five books, read from the graphic novel, "Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human."
Licwinko told the Board he was "going to read from this book because I'm exercising my right to."
Weeks later, after the start of the new year, posts began to pop up on Facebook about the book Licwinko read at the school board meeting
Hickson saw a post on the "Hunterdon County Project" Facebook page that named her.
The page, which calls itself a "journalist," is run by Christopher Stadulis, the partner of new Board of Education member Cynthia Reyes. This post said, "Here’s one of many books North Hunterdon High School librarian, MARTHA HICKSON, has brought into the school library for minors to check out. 'LET'S TALK ABOUT IT.'"
The post said that "Books that would not be appropriate for a class setting, should not be in a school library" ...
Then one morning Hickson opened an email with the subject "Just saying Hello" that began with New Year's greetings, she said.
But soon the message began referring to her with crude and lewd names.
She immediately wrote to school administrators and called the Clinton Township Police Department. While she heard back from the officer assigned to the high school, she heard nothing from any member of the administration until the next day, she said.
She was told there was nothing they could do, she said.
That chain of events prompted supporters to rally behind Hickson who, during the first wave of the controversy, was personally subjected to hate mail, threats, nuisance vandalism and questions about her judgment and integrity.
The adversity became so pervasive and extreme that her blood pressure and anxiety rose to dangerous levels and her physician removed her from the workplace.
And her supporters were ready to come to her defense again this week.
With so many people in the meeting room on Tuesday, board members began to be concerned that fire safety rules of occupancy were being violated.
Meeting was rescheduled. Hickson's supporters were in attendance.
https://www.newjerseyhills.com/hunter...
Mod
And which is especially true in puritanical homophobic rural areas like Southern Alberta, where when I was young, being from Germany not only made you a Nazi but being from Western Europe also made you a potential nudist for many (and that was supposedly even worse).
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...
I do hope that especially in urban areas of Alberta there is mass rebellion and that Danielle Smith gets her hide tanned.
Danielle Smith sounds like she's from Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Utah, etc.WHY no one is listening when experts in their fields say stuff like this
"Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, said in a written statement that teachers are primarily concerned about the safety of their most vulnerable students after this announcement from Smith.
Teachers must be broadly consulted before this policy is enacted, he added.
"We are concerned about the chilling effect placed on classrooms and schools, impacting our ability to provide safe, caring and inclusive spaces for all students," Schilling said.
"We are concerned about how students may feel forced to suppress their identities and to be afraid of reaching out to teachers as an avenue for support.
"Transgender youth are five times more likely to think about suicide and nearly eight times more likely to attempt it than other children. We must be mindful of the vulnerability of these students and their need for safety, security and support."
Mod
WHY no one is listening when experts in their fields say stuff like this
"Jason Schil..."
She is a real piece of work, that one!!
The experts literally all over the world are declaring trans people exist and it's extra hard on kids who don't have supportive environments but the politicians are too busy listening to the vocal minority who are too busy listening to the voices in their heads. Literally about 98% of the TEENS who are unafraid to speak out and speak up are supportive of their LGBTQ+ peers. It's the parents that wig out for no good reason. My dad is a pediatrician and he says they don't do anything to a minor without parental consent and puberty blockers aren't even the first response let alone surgery, showing these people don't actually care about parental rights. If they did, they'd know parents already make medical choices for their children and allow parents to you know... have rights. The actual children's books about trans kids just show the child changing their pronoun, hairstyle, clothing, name. That's it. You Need to Chill!: A trans pride and acceptance children's book
says it best. "You need to chill!"
Today's newsFollow-up to the ongoing saga of the police invading a Massachusetts classroom for Gender Queer.
Great Barrington will hire an investigator to probe police action on 'Gender Queer' book search in classroom
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/breaki...
The town will hire an investigator to conduct an independent probe into exactly what drove police to search a middle school classroom after receiving a complaint about a book in December.
After discussing the matter in a closed-door session Wednesday, the Select Board unanimously voted for the probe and to make a report of the findings public “to the extent permitted.”
The board also, in executive session, discussed “strategy” about potential litigation.
...
The teacher, through her attorney, also asked the Berkshire Hills Regional School District to conduct an investigation; that probe already is underway. Out of concern for her and her students' safety, the teacher wants to know who complained before she returns to her classroom from her temporary leave.
Parents and community members also have urged the board to act.
The board last week said its insurance company had selected a Boston-based law firm to handle a potential investigation.
Ananda Timpane, executive director of Railroad Street Youth Project, asked the board that this issue be dealt with as part of any investigation.
She noted that the letter from the teacher’s attorney points to this very concern.
“That’s one of the things, as a community, we can figure out how to prevent so that we can really know that our police force is protected from being used as a tool of harassment,” she said.
Annie Alquist, a school parent, wondered if the complaint was a “false police report” or made “with malicious intent” in order to harass, and if so, could that person could be prosecuted.
Board Chair Stephen Bannon said it is too early to have an answer for that.
Florida’s new anti-gay bill aims to limit and punish protected free speech SB 1780 would make it defamation to accuse someone of homophobia, transphobia, racism or sexism and punishable by fine of at least $35,000. If passed, the bill would severely limit and punish constitutionally protected free speech in the state.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...
Though SB 1780 is not likely to survive past higher courts, its introduction is indicative of a wider conservative strategy to stifle criticism of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior. The bill, critics argue, is being introduced to test the waters and see how far, legally, lawmakers can go until they are able to silence detractors.
“That’s the pattern here in Florida,” said Sharon Austin, a professor of political science at the University of Florida. “They introduce a bill that many of us find to be really extreme. When we start to protest, eventually they take out some of the provisions and sort of water it down a little bit, but in the end it ends up getting passed.”
Austin notes that similar bills, such as SB 266, which severely limits diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and HB7, “the stop woke act”, which regulates how race and race issues can be taught in schools, were ultimately passed after lawmakers made the bills slightly less extreme.
Understanding the landscape that legislators in the state are attempting to construct is crucial, said Howard Simon, the executive director of the ACLU of Florida. “This session is probably going to be known as the ‘gay bigotry legislative session’,” he said. “They’re on track to spend the [two-month legislative session] exercising their bigotry and hostility to the gay community in Florida.”
Simon and Austin both argue that by crafting bills that specifically target LGBTQ+ people, DEI efforts and free speech, conservative legislators are trying to push those who do not fit the mold of what they believe Florida should look like out of the state.
“Whether you like it or not, if someone wants to accuse you of being racist or sexist or homophobic, they have a right to do that,” said Austin. “It’s protected speech. There are attempts to intimidate and bully educators and individuals by letting them know that if you say something that’s unpopular, that offends conservatives, then we will come after you, then we will punish you.”
‘It’s a frightening time’
The passage of SB 1780 would have sweeping implications for free speech, as the bill’s restrictions apply to everything from print and television to online social media posts. The bill would not only make it virtually impossible to prove accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia, but it would also make it so that the victim of discriminatory statements is responsible for damages to the offender. If enough people were charged under the bill, Simon said, it would likely intimidate others from coming forward about discrimination, effectively silencing victims of hate crimes or other forms of bigotry. Austin likens the bill and others like it to McCarthyism.
SB 1780 also would have implications for journalists: if passed, the bill would remove the ability for reporters to keep sources anonymous. Journalists who report on discrimination would be particularly vulnerable to lawsuits, as the bill stipulates that “a statement by an anonymous source is presumptively false for purposes of a defamation action”. Austin believes that this is a further attempt to control the media.
Better news in MinnesotaNew Minnesota social studies standards, including ethnic studies, get judge's final OK
The ethnic studies addition calls on students to analyze social identities of race, gender, religion, geography and ethnicity. It parallels a law passed last year that requires schools offer ethnic studies classes to students by 2026.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/02...
This is a new low even for Florida and how many 5 year olds don't know what a little boy's p-- looks like? That's so bizarre! Don't they take their children out in public or bathe them? Honestly! Plus by 5 a child should know body parts by the correct names to begin with! I never even NOTICED that illustration of Mickey in the Night Kitchen! It's not the thing that stands out in my memories of the story! I had to Google it! Another book I can't even see the "offensive" pin on the character's hat even in the Google image! I don't think Ms. Pippin knows the meaning of the word pr0n and is one seriously disturbed person if she thinks one little illustration of a toddler's penis is "sexual content" LET ALONE naked butts. OK hang on to your hair...
Pressed by Moms for Liberty, Florida school district adds clothing to illustrations in classic children's books
https://popular.info/p/pressed-by-mom...
In the Night Kitchen was named a Caldecott Honor Book, one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature.
At least two copies of In The Night Kitchen are available in elementary school libraries in Indian River County, Florida. This concerned Jennifer Pippin, the chair of the local Moms for Liberty chapter, because the main character, Mickey, is sometimes depicted without clothes. In an interview, Pippin told Popular Information that she believes the book may be "harmful to minors." She was worried that if a "5-year-old picks up this book and has never seen a picture of a penis… [t]he parent wouldn’t be able to discuss this with the child."
Pippin submitted formal challenges to the Indian River County School District seeking the removal of In The Night Kitchen, which she calls "p____graphic." Pippin challenged other books with drawings of figures without clothes, including Unicorns Are The Worst, a book about a goblin complaining about how much people like unicorns. The concern about Unicorns Are The Worst is a picture of a goblin's butt.
Following Pippin's challenges, which occurred in November and December of 2023, the books were removed from the library shelves.
Pippin told Popular Information that, after filing the challenges, she had a meeting with Indian River County Superintendent David Moore and other school officials concerning the books. At the meeting, one of the officials suggested the school district "draw clothes on them to cover the nudity." Pippin said that she "would be absolutely fine with that" because she challenged the books "for nudity." Now, in the copies of In The Night Kitchen in Indian River County schools, Mickey is wearing "little shorts."
In other cases, the Indian River County librarians were more creative. Another book Pippin sought to remove was Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle, who is best known for The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Pippin was concerned about this image of "two adults that were naked." She said that her concerns were addressed when the district librarians drew "board shorts on the man" and "put the girl in a bikini." [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
Also targeted was the book No, David! because it included an illustration of David's behind.
Once these images were altered, the books were returned to the shelves in the second week of January 2024.
Pippin said she challenged these books, in part, because she believed the unaltered books violated two Florida statutes. The first is Florida's obscenity law, which prohibits distributing to minors "any picture…which depicts nudity or s--ual conduct, s--ual excitement, s--ual battery, (view spoiler) and which is harmful to minors." Pippin claims the law prohibits all nudity in school library books. But the law actually only prohibits nudity, which is also "harmful to minors." The term "harmful to minors" has a specific legal meaning. It only applies to content that appeals primarily to "prurient, shameful, or morbid interests," is "patently offensive," and is without "serious literary [or] artistic…merit" for minors. It's hard to argue In The Night Kitchen or the other books challenged by Pippin meet this standard.
Pippin claims the unaltered version of In The Night Kitchen also violates a new law, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in 2023, HB 1069. That law gives residents the right to demand the removal of any library book that "depicts or describes sexual conduct," as defined under Florida law, whether or not the book is p----graphic. In The Night Kitchen and the other books challenged by Pippin do not depict or describe s--ual conduct.
David Flynt, the father of students in Indian River County schools, told Popular Information that he objected to Moms for Liberty's efforts. Flynt questioned why Moms for Liberty was "sexualizing" an image "of a goblin's bare backside." The image "was not [included] to (view spoiler), and was of a fictional character," Flynt noted. He said that it was part of a pattern of censorship that was ultimately harmful to students. Flynt cited Pippin's recent challenge of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez the story of a young girl who seeks to improve her neighborhood. The basis of the challenge was that the main character's grandfather is depicted wearing a pin in support of LGBTQ rights.
That book has now been removed from the shelves of Indian River County schools pending review. In her challenge form, Pippin indicated that she had not read the book.
Stephana Ferrell of the Florida Freedom to Read Project said that Moms for Liberty pushed the district to “deface an illustrator’s work to suit their sensibilities.” She said the group “regularly misrepresents the literary works of award-winning authors as p---graphy, and now silly, naked goblin butts.”
“[C]overing up an image, erasing a line, or pulling out a page is still suppression and robs the reader of the author's full literary expressions,” Kasey Meehan, Program Director with the non-profit PEN America, said.
Pippin rejected these criticisms, saying that “covering up genitalia” was legally required and was not “defying the author's work.”
This is a new low even for Florida and how many 5 year olds don't know what a little boy's p-- looks like? That's so bizarre! Don't they take their children out in public or bathe them? Honestly! Plus by 5 a child should know body parts by the correct names to begin with! I never even NOTICED that illustration of Mickey in the Night Kitchen! It's not the thing that stands out in my memories of the story! I had to Google it! Another book I can't even see the "offensive" pin on the character's hat even in the Google image! I don't think Ms. Pippin knows the meaning of the word pr0n and is one seriously disturbed person if she thinks one little illustration of a toddler's penis is "sexual content" LET ALONE naked butts. OK hang on to your hair...
Pressed by Moms for Liberty, Florida school district adds clothing to illustrations in classic children's books
https://popular.info/p/pressed-by-mom...
In the Night Kitchen was named a Caldecott Honor Book, one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature.
At least two copies of In The Night Kitchen are available in elementary school libraries in Indian River County, Florida. This concerned Jennifer Pippin, the chair of the local Moms for Liberty chapter, because the main character, Mickey, is sometimes depicted without clothes. In an interview, Pippin told Popular Information that she believes the book may be "harmful to minors." She was worried that if a "5-year-old picks up this book and has never seen a picture of a penis… [t]he parent wouldn’t be able to discuss this with the child."
Pippin submitted formal challenges to the Indian River County School District seeking the removal of In The Night Kitchen, which she calls "p____graphic." Pippin challenged other books with drawings of figures without clothes, including Unicorns Are The Worst, a book about a goblin complaining about how much people like unicorns. The concern about Unicorns Are The Worst is a picture of a goblin's butt.
Following Pippin's challenges, which occurred in November and December of 2023, the books were removed from the library shelves.
Pippin told Popular Information that, after filing the challenges, she had a meeting with Indian River County Superintendent David Moore and other school officials concerning the books. At the meeting, one of the officials suggested the school district "draw clothes on them to cover the nudity." Pippin said that she "would be absolutely fine with that" because she challenged the books "for nudity." Now, in the copies of In The Night Kitchen in Indian River County schools, Mickey is wearing "little shorts."
In other cases, the Indian River County librarians were more creative. Another book Pippin sought to remove was Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle, who is best known for The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Pippin was concerned about this image of "two adults that were naked." She said that her concerns were addressed when the district librarians drew "board shorts on the man" and "put the girl in a bikini." [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
Also targeted was the book No, David! because it included an illustration of David's behind.
Once these images were altered, the books were returned to the shelves in the second week of January 2024.
Pippin said she challenged these books, in part, because she believed the unaltered books violated two Florida statutes. The first is Florida's obscenity law, which prohibits distributing to minors "any picture…which depicts nudity or s--ual conduct, s--ual excitement, s--ual battery, (view spoiler) and which is harmful to minors." Pippin claims the law prohibits all nudity in school library books. But the law actually only prohibits nudity, which is also "harmful to minors." The term "harmful to minors" has a specific legal meaning. It only applies to content that appeals primarily to "prurient, shameful, or morbid interests," is "patently offensive," and is without "serious literary [or] artistic…merit" for minors. It's hard to argue In The Night Kitchen or the other books challenged by Pippin meet this standard.
Pippin claims the unaltered version of In The Night Kitchen also violates a new law, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in 2023, HB 1069. That law gives residents the right to demand the removal of any library book that "depicts or describes sexual conduct," as defined under Florida law, whether or not the book is p----graphic. In The Night Kitchen and the other books challenged by Pippin do not depict or describe s--ual conduct.
David Flynt, the father of students in Indian River County schools, told Popular Information that he objected to Moms for Liberty's efforts. Flynt questioned why Moms for Liberty was "sexualizing" an image "of a goblin's bare backside." The image "was not [included] to (view spoiler), and was of a fictional character," Flynt noted. He said that it was part of a pattern of censorship that was ultimately harmful to students. Flynt cited Pippin's recent challenge of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez the story of a young girl who seeks to improve her neighborhood. The basis of the challenge was that the main character's grandfather is depicted wearing a pin in support of LGBTQ rights.
That book has now been removed from the shelves of Indian River County schools pending review. In her challenge form, Pippin indicated that she had not read the book.
Stephana Ferrell of the Florida Freedom to Read Project said that Moms for Liberty pushed the district to “deface an illustrator’s work to suit their sensibilities.” She said the group “regularly misrepresents the literary works of award-winning authors as p---graphy, and now silly, naked goblin butts.”
“[C]overing up an image, erasing a line, or pulling out a page is still suppression and robs the reader of the author's full literary expressions,” Kasey Meehan, Program Director with the non-profit PEN America, said.
Pippin rejected these criticisms, saying that “covering up genitalia” was legally required and was not “defying the author's work.”
No real surprise here but The Alabama Public Library Service Opts Out of the American Library Associationhttps://bookriot.com/the-alabama-publ...
In my neck of the woods,North Attleboro lawyer handing out free copies of formerly banned book 'Woke' Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice
Attorney Stephen Clapp, who has a law office downtown, has purchased numerous copies of the book and is making them available at no charge to students age 8-12 and parents.
The book is a collection of poems by Black authors aimed to inspire children to stay aware of social issues and become a new generation of activists. Its themes include diversity, being Black, disability and being kind to others.
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/...
Literary Activism survey results show intolerance for others.https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
In South Carolina
Community member files more than 600 book complaints, 170 in Dorchester Dist. 2
https://www.live5news.com/2024/01/29/...
One community member has sent a complaint to Dorchester School District 2 staff to take a second look at the material they consider obscene in 673 books, despite knowing only 170 are actually in the district.
District Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins says this complaint sent to him and the rest of the board back in December actually labeled which out of the 673 books the district had as well as rankings of the level of obscene material in the books on a 0-5 scale. He says summary links were provided but did not list any specifics of why they thought the book had questionable material.
In the school board’s Jan. 22 meeting, board member Justin Farnsworth made a motion for the district not to use its time and resources to review these books, but it was denied in a 4-3 vote.
As of now, Robbins says he has provided this list of 170 books to all the district’s media specialists to review so they can make a professional opinion of whether to take the books off the shelves. He says some have been removed so far but did not know how many or say which ones.
The policy, IJL, allows a parent or legal guardian of a Dorchester School District student to file a formal book challenge if they believe the material is obscene before it moves on to a committee.
In this case, the complainant was not a parent or legal guardian.
Robbins explains that even though the motion to not review these books was denied, a formal review won’t happen because the complainant did not go through the district.
Robbins says the reason he brought this up in the superintendent report during the Jan. 22 meeting was to be transparent.
“I’m just very cautious to make sure that we keep separation of duties in place and there’s no directive to pull anything,” Robbins said. “It’s just under your professional opinion as our media specialists, take a look, and you know, if you think any of these cause you concern and you think don’t meet the criteria outlined in the policy, then go ahead and remove them.”
He adds he did not give a timeline to any of the media specialists of when they should finish these reviews.
“It’s every parent’s right to choose what their child checks out of one of our libraries,” Robbins said. “But at the same time, our board policy is very clear that it may be your choice, but if it meets that criteria spelled out in policy that we don’t eliminate that opportunity or choice from another child or parent.”
Florida againNassau County schools remove 34 books, including 'The Bluest Eye' and 'Perks of Being a Wallflower'
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/articl...
The removal comes after members of the nonprofit Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF), brought the books before the Nassau County School Board.
Of the books removed, a majority of them were because they depicted or described sexual conduct as defined in Florida Statute 847.012, CDF said.
Some of those removed titles include 'The Bluest Eye' by Toni Morrison, 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky and 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini to name a few.
"Our team here on the ground worked hard to identify these books containing material that, according to Florida statute, is not suitable for minors,” said County Executive Director for Nassau County Citizens Defending Freedom Jack Knocke.
Nassau County Public Schools said the books that were removed either violated Florida Statute 1006.28 or they were removed "due to lack of circulation."
Only three titles were weeded due to lack of circulation, including 'And Tango Makes Three' by Justin Richardson which follows the relationship between two male penguins, Roy and Silo, at the Central Park Zoo.
'Ghost Boys Rhodes' by Jewell Parker was also removed due to "lack of circulation." The book follows the life of a 12-year-old Black boy who is shot and killed by a white police officer and returns as a ghost. Emmett Till, a Black 14-year-old who was lynched by a white mob, is also a character in the book.
NCSO restricted access to 'All American Boys' by Jason Reynolds for kindergarten students to eighth graders, due to the book being "inappropriate for grade level and age group." The book follows two Black teenagers as they handle police brutality and racism in their community.
“School districts that are breaking the law should be held accountable. In this case, we are very pleased with the cooperation and professionalism of the Nassau County School Board, who respectfully worked with us every step of the way to help protect our county’s children," Knocke said.
Also in Florida, astounding, staggering numbers of books under review in Lee Countyhttps://winknews.com/2024/01/30/citiz...
Citizens stand up for reading in Lee County as 88,000 books are being reviewed
“If the people in Tallahassee would listen to us, and they don’t understand, I don’t think the kind of chaos that has ensued because of these laws,” said Madelon Stewart.
Stewart is on the leadership team for the Purple Group, a non-partisan group of local citizens who support public schools and educators, and they’re concerned with how book bans are being done in schools.
“We have a multicultural, multi-ethnic democracy, and if kids aren’t educated about all the people in our nation and all the contributions they’ve made, that’s a terrible thing,” Stewart said.
Another group aimed at protecting student access in school libraries is the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
“What people need to understand right now is we see these varying reactions to the law and to the guidance, and how the districts are responding to the guidance of err on the side of caution. They’re basing that off of what the community is saying,” said Stephana Ferrell, director of research and insight, at Florida Freedom to Read Project.
Back in 2022, HB 1467 passed, which allowed any citizen to challenge libraries, required a media specialist to approve all library books and purchases, and that all library catalogs be posted online.
Then, the Florida Department of Education expanded that law to include classroom libraries in the definition of library media center.
Despite the Iowa book ban law currently unenforced, Bondurant schools have decided to ban 17 books from the district.(paywalled)
Virginia
Valiant Ladies
School Board-appointed committee in Hanover County voted on Tuesday to remove fiction novel “Valiant Ladies” by Melissa Grey from all of its school libraries after it was challenged by a parent.
https://richmond.com/news/local/educa...
Florida as usualFor the second time in two years, community members are being asked to donate their time and effort to review books being complained about by at least two conservative Polk County residents, alleging they are “pornographic,” “violent” and/or “inappropriate” for any K-12 school.
https://www.lkldnow.com/book-challeng...
Some frustrated observers say it’s a waste of time and money that could be better spent solving real problems.
Per PCPS district policy, a school-level committee deals with complaints first, spending hours reading and reviewing the books and filling out a district form about each book. The committee then meets to discuss the book before voting on whether to keep it in the school’s library. If a decision is appealed, the book must be reviewed at the district level.
This month, Polk County Public Schools posted a notice on its website asking for volunteers to serve on a district-level committee and review three books that individual school panels voted to keep. At least two women have appealed those decisions, saying the books do not belong in public school media centers.
Volunteers may include:
Current PCPS parents/guardians.
Current PCPS teachers or guidance counselors.
Current PCPS certified media specialists.
Current PCPS high school students.
Selected volunteers will be provided with texts to read, and serve on review committees for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.
In 2022, members of County Citizens Defending Freedom (which has since dropped “County” from its name) challenged 16 books in Polk County. Two committees met weekly for seven weeks, each deciding the fate of eight books. Ultimately, all were returned to libraries, with a few being housed only at the high school level.
This time, there are three books the district is being asked to reconsider after school-level committees returned them to media center shelves.
Lakeland resident Yvonne Stagg filed a complaint about “Assassination Classroom” in April. Stagg, 71, wrote on a Polk County Public Schools “Request for Examination of Library Materials” form that she found out about the books from national news.
In September, Lakeland resident Debra Baublitz filed complaints with five Lakeland area high schools — Lakeland Senior, Kathleen Senior, George Jenkins, Tenoroc and Traviss Technical College — along with Auburndale, Davenport Senior, Lake Region, Ridge Community and Mulberry high schools, regarding several books, including “Identical” and “Living Dead Girl.”
In her complaint about “Identical” to George Jenkins and Kathleen Senior High schools, Baublitz pointed to 60 passages on numerous pages from start to finish. She said “Identical” is “obscene and inappropriate for anyone in K-12 … There are very few pages in this book where I haven’t found any objectionable content.”
...
None of the books she lodged complaints about are required class reading or taught in classes. They are housed in school media centers and voluntarily checked out by students.
Committees are asked to consider if the book has literary merit and if the sexual or violent parts are prurient or essential to the story. In most cases, reviewers have said the books have literary merit and the sexual content is not there to arouse the reader, but is integral to the story.
Three Polk high school committees did elect to remove two books about which residents complained:
Review committees at Frostproof Middle-Senior and Haines City High School voted to remove “The Haters” by Jesse Andrews,
Mulberry High School’s review committee elected to remove “Living Dead Girl.”
However, most other committees voted to return challenged books to library shelves:
At Lakeland High School, the committee voted 5-2 to retain the book “Living Dead Girl.”
At Traviss, the vote was unanimous to retain “Identical,” although reviewer Scott Cunningham said it was “conditional on having a ‘trigger warning’ put on the back cover clarifying the content.”
At Tenoroc, the vote was 5-3 to keep “Identical.”
At George Jenkins High School, English teacher Victoria Odro voted to keep “Identical.” She said in the form she filled out that the book “exposes students to the different experiences that people can have while still maintaining a ‘normal’ outward persona … since the family is well-to-do, to find out the depth of trauma the girls experience reminds people that what they see on the surface is not always true.”
Ellen Hopkins, the author of “Identical,” has stated publicly, “Some of the material for the book came from friends, friends who are now strong successful women and you would never guess that abuse is in their past.”
School Board member Lisa Miller, who is not registered with any political party, said it is costing the district at least $25,000 to review books that are in few libraries, are not required reading and, in many cases, have rarely or never been checked out. It’s money she says could be spent better elsewhere.
“The group requesting the review is upset because in their words, ‘it’s not working’ because most of the books reviewed are voted to be kept by the committees who have read and reviewed the books,” Miller said. “Community members are upset that we are spending staff time and tax dollars to hold reviews when there is already a process in place for parents to keep their child from checking out any and all books from our libraries.”
Parents can log into the district’s parent portal, go to the page dedicated to their child’s school’s media center and opt their child out of reading any — or all — books in the school’s library. She said the school board’s job is to create policy, which they did in 2022 regarding this issue.
...
Ben Madden is a senior at Lakeland High School and serves on the Lakeland City Commission Youth Council. His mother is City Commissioner Stephanie Madden. He did not serve on his school’s review committee, but he said libraries should be filled with the highest quality books possible for young people to read.
“I know there is a lot of controversy on this subject. Personally, I believe that the damage a book can have on youth is very limited,” Madden said. “There is most likely way worse things on our phones. This being said, in a public school library, where there is limited space and money, I think our efforts should be set on filling every shelf with the best possible literature for students. It’s not that these new explicit books are terrible, but I think there’s better books for the space.”
He added that a distinction should be made between “old books banned for historical accuracy and new books banned for pointless obscenity.”
Florida as usualFor the second time in two years, community members are being asked to donate their time and effort to review books being complained about by at least two conservative Polk County residents, alleging they are “pornographic,” “violent” and/or “inappropriate” for any K-12 school.
https://www.lkldnow.com/book-challeng...
Some frustrated observers say it’s a waste of time and money that could be better spent solving real problems.
Per PCPS district policy, a school-level committee deals with complaints first, spending hours reading and reviewing the books and filling out a district form about each book. The committee then meets to discuss the book before voting on whether to keep it in the school’s library. If a decision is appealed, the book must be reviewed at the district level.
This month, Polk County Public Schools posted a notice on its website asking for volunteers to serve on a district-level committee and review three books that individual school panels voted to keep. At least two women have appealed those decisions, saying the books do not belong in public school media centers.
Volunteers may include:
Current PCPS parents/guardians.
Current PCPS teachers or guidance counselors.
Current PCPS certified media specialists.
Current PCPS high school students.
Selected volunteers will be provided with texts to read, and serve on review committees for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.
In 2022, members of County Citizens Defending Freedom (which has since dropped “County” from its name) challenged 16 books in Polk County. Two committees met weekly for seven weeks, each deciding the fate of eight books. Ultimately, all were returned to libraries, with a few being housed only at the high school level.
This time, there are three books the district is being asked to reconsider after school-level committees returned them to media center shelves.
Lakeland resident Yvonne Stagg filed a complaint about “Assassination Classroom” in April. Stagg, 71, wrote on a Polk County Public Schools “Request for Examination of Library Materials” form that she found out about the books from national news.
In September, Lakeland resident Debra Baublitz filed complaints with five Lakeland area high schools — Lakeland Senior, Kathleen Senior, George Jenkins, Tenoroc and Traviss Technical College — along with Auburndale, Davenport Senior, Lake Region, Ridge Community and Mulberry high schools, regarding several books, including “Identical” and “Living Dead Girl.”
In her complaint about “Identical” to George Jenkins and Kathleen Senior High schools, Baublitz pointed to 60 passages on numerous pages from start to finish. She said “Identical” is “obscene and inappropriate for anyone in K-12 … There are very few pages in this book where I haven’t found any objectionable content.”
...
None of the books she lodged complaints about are required class reading or taught in classes. They are housed in school media centers and voluntarily checked out by students.
Committees are asked to consider if the book has literary merit and if the sexual or violent parts are prurient or essential to the story. In most cases, reviewers have said the books have literary merit and the sexual content is not there to arouse the reader, but is integral to the story.
Three Polk high school committees did elect to remove two books about which residents complained:
Review committees at Frostproof Middle-Senior and Haines City High School voted to remove “The Haters” by Jesse Andrews,
Mulberry High School’s review committee elected to remove “Living Dead Girl.”
However, most other committees voted to return challenged books to library shelves:
At Lakeland High School, the committee voted 5-2 to retain the book “Living Dead Girl.”
At Traviss, the vote was unanimous to retain “Identical,” although reviewer Scott Cunningham said it was “conditional on having a ‘trigger warning’ put on the back cover clarifying the content.”
At Tenoroc, the vote was 5-3 to keep “Identical.”
At George Jenkins High School, English teacher Victoria Odro voted to keep “Identical.” She said in the form she filled out that the book “exposes students to the different experiences that people can have while still maintaining a ‘normal’ outward persona … since the family is well-to-do, to find out the depth of trauma the girls experience reminds people that what they see on the surface is not always true.”
Ellen Hopkins, the author of “Identical,” has stated publicly, “Some of the material for the book came from friends, friends who are now strong successful women and you would never guess that abuse is in their past.”
School Board member Lisa Miller, who is not registered with any political party, said it is costing the district at least $25,000 to review books that are in few libraries, are not required reading and, in many cases, have rarely or never been checked out. It’s money she says could be spent better elsewhere.
“The group requesting the review is upset because in their words, ‘it’s not working’ because most of the books reviewed are voted to be kept by the committees who have read and reviewed the books,” Miller said. “Community members are upset that we are spending staff time and tax dollars to hold reviews when there is already a process in place for parents to keep their child from checking out any and all books from our libraries.”
Parents can log into the district’s parent portal, go to the page dedicated to their child’s school’s media center and opt their child out of reading any — or all — books in the school’s library. She said the school board’s job is to create policy, which they did in 2022 regarding this issue.
...
Ben Madden is a senior at Lakeland High School and serves on the Lakeland City Commission Youth Council. His mother is City Commissioner Stephanie Madden. He did not serve on his school’s review committee, but he said libraries should be filled with the highest quality books possible for young people to read.
“I know there is a lot of controversy on this subject. Personally, I believe that the damage a book can have on youth is very limited,” Madden said. “There is most likely way worse things on our phones. This being said, in a public school library, where there is limited space and money, I think our efforts should be set on filling every shelf with the best possible literature for students. It’s not that these new explicit books are terrible, but I think there’s better books for the space.”
He added that a distinction should be made between “old books banned for historical accuracy and new books banned for pointless obscenity.”
MontanaImagineIF Library Board Adds Obscenity Language to Collection Policy
Library staff calls policy changes "unnecessary and redundant;" trustees say move brings policy in line with new Montana laws
https://flatheadbeacon.com/2024/01/27...
The ImagineIF Library Board of Trustees amended a library policy at its Jan. 25 meeting, adding sections to the Collection Development and Management Policy specifically aimed at preventing “obscene” books from entering the collection, or being inappropriately shelved, an issue library staff have long argued is not a problem at any library system, much less ImagineIF.
The change, proposed by board chair Dave Ingram, adds language to the policy’s selection criteria to avoid materials containing “explicit or detailed descriptions or narrative accounts of (view spoiler)
“This language is used as an attempt not to exclude or take away the librarian’s choices and books, but to give them guidance on what is out there as far as definitions,” Ingram said.
According to Ingram, the move was made to bring the county library system in line with Montana Code Annotated following the 2023 Montana Legislature’s passage of HB 234. The so-called “obscenity bill” altered a state law about disseminating obscene material to minors by initially removing an exemption for museums, libraries and schools to share materials that might be considered obscene in another context. This exception has allowed educational institutions to have works of artistic, literary and scientific significance — such as a nude sculpture in a museum, or a library book that includes s--ual themes — in their collections. ImagineIF Trustee Doug Adams previously called this exemption a “loophole” that prevents objectionable material from being removed.
The final version of the HB 234, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte last May, was amended from its initial draft form and reinstated a definition that still creates an exemption for libraries, museums and schools. Even vocal critics of the law ultimately deemed it a “largely benign” change.
“The state law was changed last year … including it in the policy seems both redundant and disrespectful to the people who have the education, the expertise and the hard-won experience to select these items, none of which are obscene,” ImagineIF librarian Sierra Benjamin told the trustees.
Despite the library exception to the law, Ingram said his main concern is protecting children. He raised the issue that publishers classify “Young Adult” books as suitable for ages ranging from 12 to 25, which could create difficulties with a law that specifically deals with legal minors.
Roughly 30 members of the public showed up to the committee meeting, with more than a dozen offering comments opposing any changes to the policy, which they saw as yet another move by the board to limit access to materials or sequester them in different sections of the library.
“You have a duty for this community, for this building to serve as the community hub that it is,” said Anna Lang Ofstad. “Not to draw people away from their work and their tasks to come down here and remind you that we have a right by law to do what we want to do in this library and read materials to our children that we deem appropriate. And your policy states so.”
Valeri McGarvey, a frequent critic of the ImagineIF trustees, pointed out that the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution negate any changes to the collection policy.
An additional amendment to the collection development policy states that librarians have the latitude to relocate materials between collections, particularly if a book is challenged for being shelved inappropriately. A final change removed the list of selection aids that librarians often consult — including professionally recognized journals such as Publisher’s Weekly and awards lists. Trustee Jane Wheeler opposed this change, saying that the inclusion of the list helps to inform library patrons of their selection process, but she was overruled.
Throughout the meeting, library staff spoke at length about more serious issues the trustees could be dealing with, including failing library infrastructure and safety concerns.
https://flatheadbeacon.com/2024/01/27...
Pescadero Municipal Advisory Council member wants to reorganize the Half Moon Bay Library System’s [CA] children’s sections to move 'inappropriate' material to the adult’s section. Taylor Allen, the newest member and a Pescadero resident, cited Gender Queer and This Book is Gay for allegedly having material inappropriate for young readers." https://www.hmbreview.com/news/pmac-m...
A Pescadero Municipal Advisory Council member wants to reorganize the Half Moon Bay Library System’s children’s sections to move “inappropriate” material to the adult’s section. Taylor Allen, the newest member and a Pescadero resident, cited “Gender Queer” and “This Book is Gay” for allegedly having material inappropriate for young readers.
Allen alleged during a recent PMAC meeting that the books are inappropriate. When asked why in a separate interview, Allen said that the books teach children under the age of 10 how to set up an account with a popular LGBTQ+ dating site. An independent review of the books reveals that claim is incorrect. One book serves as a memoir and the second is a resource guide helping young people understand their sexual identity. Both books are categorized for young adults.
“If you're providing material to a group of people and your categories are adult book section (and) children's book section and the ‘really not appropriate material' is categorized and listed in the children's section – that is not appropriate,” said Allen.
During the meeting, Half Moon Bay Library Manager Annie Malley explained that the Coastside libraries share the same catalog with the Peninsula Library System. Patrons can alert library staff if they think a book is mis-shelved or inappropriate for the section.
San Mateo County Library spokeswoman Katie Woods said there wasn’t currently a formal request to remove any books from local libraries and that there haven’t been any recently. If a formal complaint is filed, she said the library system would assemble a review committee that would meet to discuss members’ impressions of the book as well as reviews in the popular press and any other information on the titles.
“We also feel that all families have the ability and the right to choose the books that are right for their family,” said Malley. “And we believe that it is a family's individual right and individual decision-making to do that rather than our decision essentially about what book is appropriate.”
Regarding the “appropriateness” of books and what section they belong in, Malley assured the council that the books are cataloged by reading level.
Allen filed his request Wednesday morning and is now waiting to hear back from the library system. He said his mission is to bring service providers in his area to a middle ground rather than serving what he considers extreme views.
“If it were a book that was about 'Hey, I have two fathers or I have two mothers,’ that's OK,” said Allen. “That's acceptable. That's not the type of material that's definitely p---rted and inappropriate, but if you're trying to tell a 6- or 7-year-old how to set up a grindr account – I'm sorry that you belong in jail.”
District 20 Academy in Colorado is creating a library book review board to preserve "parental rights." The books they're reviewing are rated 3, 4, or 5 on Moms for Liberty's BookLooks site.https://gazette.com/news/education/di...
Academy School District 20 has unveiled a plan to implement a library review committee to read, discuss and review several books to determine if they are appropriate for middle school libraries.
District Superintendent Jinger Haberer laid out a proposal for the committee at the Jan. 18 school board meeting.
“I know parent choice is an important value for us here in D-20,” Haberer said. “I see the topic of library books being a real opportunity for members of our community, and especially parents, to have a dialogue about a topic that can be divisive.”
Library content has been a major point of contention in the district in recent months. In May, several books were removed from D-20 libraries in response to a request from about three dozen district parents who alleged the books contained s--ually explicit content.
The books were later returned to library shelves after the move was met with resistance from other district parents.
In December, a collective composed of nearly 20 local conservative groups petitioned 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen to initiate a criminal investigation of El Paso County schools and districts for offering material the group alleged met the legal definition of pornography. After reviewing the petition and the case law it cited, Allen’s office denied the request to investigate.
According to Haberer, the review committee would consist of 20 parents and/or guardians of current D-20 middle school students, as well as five middle school administrators and teachers. The parental group would consist of varying perspectives, she said.
The members would read books in the district’s libraries that are rated a 3, 4 or 5 on booklooks.org, a website that rates the appropriateness of a book for a child or young adult. The website’s rating system ranges from zero (appropriate for all ages) to 5 (suitable for adults only).
After reading the books, the committee would reconvene to discuss the material and attempt to come to a consensus on whether a particular volume should stay in middle school libraries, or be removed.
“We’re still working on the fine details,” Haberer said.
Board of Education member Derrick Wilburn spoke in favor of the idea.
“There are those in the community who would say, ‘Let’s get everything out of there. If I don’t like it, it goes.’ Well, that’s not reasonable,” Wilburn said. And there are those who would say, ‘Let’s remove nothing.’ That’s not reasonable either.”
“It’s important for the community to know we’re not trying to open up a can of worms,” said board member Nicole Konz. “The intention is to bring the community together to start dialoguing, to start supporting our district, despite differences of opinion.”
Cape Girardeau Public Library (MO) had to end its board meeting early after a "disturbance" related to book ban nonsense.https://www.kbsi23.com/news/cape-gira...
Cape Girardeau Public Library member Laura Bain-Selbo was denied the chance to speak at Thursday morning’s library board meeting.
The meeting adjourned early when a man spoke out of turn and caused a disturbance during the discussion of new rules for Missouri libraries that determine which materials are inappropriate for children.
“He was a loud person. He was making side comments when other people were speaking. He wanted his voice heard and I understand that,” she said.
Bain-Selbo said some people have made claims that there are certain books in the library that contain p---graphy and groom children to become victims of p---philia.
Bain-Selbo is a licensed therapist, and she said this is not how grooming works.
“Children tend to ask questions about things that are important to them,” she said. “They don’t tend to gravitate toward things that are not. Libraries and books are often the place people can go to find a safe space, especially kids who have been made to feel like they aren’t welcome or they’re somehow different.”
Cape Girardeau Library Alliance co-organizer Tom Blattel was also at the board meeting, and he says one of the primary goals of the library alliance is to: “Make sure that everyone feels welcome in the library because it is a public space open to people of all walks of life.”
The Norman, Oklahoma, educator who provided students access to banned books via a QR code and was subsequently fired will learn whether or not she'll lose her teaching license at a March hearing.https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/...
Idaho librarians are leaving the job — and the state. https://missoulacurrent.com/idaho-lib...
Maegan Hanson became a librarian because of her love of reading. Her favorite part of her job is helping people discover their next favorite book.
Hanson is the Buhl Public Library director, doubling as its children’s librarian. She has worked in libraries for more than 15 years, and her library serves rural Idahoans in a region where only 40% of the population has access to Wi-Fi.
But in her one year serving as library director, she said she regularly considers leaving the profession because of the stress and exhaustion she feels from the state’s increasingly antagonistic rhetoric against librarians.
According to an informal survey conducted by the Idaho Library Association, more than half of Idaho librarians are considering leaving library work as a result of library-related legislation.
Hanson faces a shortage of staff and a perpetual need to train new workers after several of her colleagues have departed because of the stress caused from library-related bills making their way through the Idaho Legislature. To add to her challenges, an elected official during a town hall meeting referred to her as a “groomer.” Moreover, she said that legislation establishing an “adults only” section would be impractical in her small, one-room library.
“I could go to a bigger town, a smaller town, or the same size of town and get paid triple of what I’m getting paid now to work somewhere else, but I don’t want to do that,” she said. “I want to set roots and raise my family here. But if this is the climate, I genuinely don’t know how long we can sustain the good work that we’re doing.”
indings from Idaho Library Association survey show:
60% of respondents said they are considering leaving library work as a result of legislative action focused on libraries.
60% of respondents said they are considering leaving Idaho because of actions of the Idaho Legislature in the last year.
77% of respondents said they know library workers who have left their jobs to find other work because of library-related legislation in Idaho.
80% of respondents said they know library workers thinking of leaving their jobs in libraries because of actions of the Legislature.
Erin Kennedy is the intellectual freedom chair for the Idaho Library Association based in Boise. Having spent part of her childhood in Cascade, where she would spend her teen years at Cascade Public Library, Kennedy said rural libraries would still be most impacted by fines in library-related legislation.
“It’s a very small, one-room library,” she said of the Cascade library. “Any amount of money is harmful to those libraries that don’t have a budget to purchase books. It might only be $250 for one book plus $1,000 in legal fees, but that’s still a significant impact to our smaller, rural libraries.”
While Kennedy said she appreciates that legislators are proposing to reduce the fines, Kennedy said the legislation does not speak to outside costs of hiring legal representation for each time a library does not relocate an item.
Like Kennedy, Ada Community Library director, Mary DeWalt, told the Idaho Capital Sun that she is concerned about paying for legal representation because of how library-related legislation is impacting her library’s insurance policies.
Bills like House Bill 384 that define “sexual conduct” as something that includes “any act of homosexuality,” is vague and targets LGBTQ+ youth.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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Students at Rockingham County schools (VA) walked out in protest of proposed book bans in the district.
https://www.whsv.com/2024/01/24/rocki...
Students from multiple Rockingham County schools walked out in protest of the recent book bans ordered by the Rockingham County School Board.
On Jan. 24, high school students on each corner of Rockingham County organized walk-out events and peaceful protests to demonstrate their disdain for the decisions made by elected school board officials. On Jan. 9, the Rockingham County School Board voted to temporarily ban 57 different titles in the county’s public school libraries because of vulgar themes and p___graphic materials.
In response, these protests gave students a platform to voice their opinions, since they could not vote for their elected officials. Underrepresentation was a common theme at these protests.
“They’re telling us that they don’t respect us students and individuals and they don’t trust us to read the books and dictate what we want to read and be mature enough to handle the content in these books,” A student from East Rockingham High School said. “More than half the time we are limited, it is demeaning.”
At these protests, the students called out the school board members and the policies they had created/implemented. Not only limited to the temporarily banned books but also model policies placed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia Department of Education.
“Do not take it away from others, knowledge is power,” A student at Spotswood High School said. “Taking away the ability to access knowledge puts you in the dark, and takes away your power.”
These protests were led by students and endorsed by faculty members. Faculty members did not participate in the discussions/protests, but they made sure to stand close by and ensure the protest stayed peaceful and no one interfered with the demonstrations.
“You can’t ban books and love freedom.” Students chanted this multiple times during the protests, making comparisons to their First Amendment rights.
“Division in this community now and in Gen Z is not what we need,” a different student at Spotswood High School said. “Our world is going to crap right now and we need each other together.”
On Jan. 19, the Rockingham County School Board issued a statement, not an interview, about the decision to temporarily prohibit access to these books in the libraries. That statement said in part:
“The School Board is scheduling work sessions that will be open to the public and include invitations to faculty and staff to inform the School Board on how the Division can most effectively review library and classroom library books. We’re also requesting parental input and involvement in this process, and will schedule opportunities to hear directly from you, our parents, who are our number one stakeholders in Rockingham County. Once we have a policy for acquiring library and classroom materials, and the current policy about the process that will be used to review challenged books is revised, the titles we temporarily removed will be reviewed. It is possible that some may be returned to our libraries and classroom libraries.”